For more than five decades, Thunderbird Show Park has been a cornerstone of Canadian show jumping. Now, in a transition that feels as much about stewardship as it does ownership, the Tidball family has passed the reins to the Matheson family, another Langley-rooted group with deep ties to sport, business, and the local community.
“This is a new era built on a shared mission,” reads the official announcement, “to uphold the park’s standing as a premier horse show destination while honouring its foundational values.”
Carrying the Torch
For those who know Thunderbird and the Tidball family, the balance between evolution and preservation matters.
The Tidballs built Thunderbird into one of North America’s leading venues, hosting international sport alongside a full calendar of hunter, jumper, and dressage competition. Letting it go was never going to be simple.
“tbird has been a labour of love for our family for 53 years,” said Jane Tidball. “As we look to the future, we knew new owners must share our commitment to Langley and passion for this sport.”
That search led to Dana Matheson, a local entrepreneur with a long track record in sport and a personal connection to the facility. “Our family is passionate about Langley, about tbird, and about horses,” Matheson said of his wife Laurel and their kids Chloe and Colton. “Our goal is to carry the torch forward and ensure tbird is around for many more decades.”
That connection to horses is not incidental. The Matheson family lives on a 20-acre farm just minutes from Thunderbird, home to approximately 40 horses, where Dana’s wife Laurel has been involved in breeding and the operation supports boarders, coaches, and riders ranging from recreational to competitive.
“My daughter competes. My wife does not,” Matheson said, noting that while his son Colton has little interest in riding, his daughter Chloe “would ride 24/7 if she could.”
It is a dynamic familiar to many equestrian families and one that has given Matheson a front-row seat to the sport from the inside. At the same time, he is clear that the purchase is about more than personal involvement. “It’s such a wonderful place and location. It’s important to make sure that this place carries on the same way that it’s grown over the past 53 years,” he said.
A Horse Show and More
What the Mathesons bring is not just capital or continuity, but perspective. Matheson’s background spans logistics, retail, and multiple sports franchises, including junior hockey and football teams in the Langley area. That experience and particularly in building fan engagement could prove transformative.
“The big thing is, how can we utilize every inch of this property to make it awesome?” Matheson enthused. “How can we continue to level up the experience and bring people here that haven’t been here before?”
That thinking reframes Thunderbird not just as a competition venue, but as an event destination. Ideas already being discussed include concerts, expanded vendor presence, corporate events, and enhanced hospitality.
“It’s such a hidden gem,” Matheson added. “People know about it but maybe haven’t been here. They’ve got to get here.”
Growing the Sport from the Ground Up
If there is one area where the new ownership may leave a lasting mark, it is in accessibility. While Thunderbird is known for elite competition, Matheson sees opportunity at the other end of the spectrum.
“Maybe there’s some barriers that we can eliminate,” he said, pointing to the potential for lower-level competitions and development opportunities for younger or less experienced riders. This aligns with the broader industry need of creating pathways that bring riders into the sport and keep them there.
It also extends into the community. Through a school outreach program called Pony Pals run in tandem with the BC Horse Council, Thunderbird is already working to introduce children to horses in a tangible, approachable way.
“We started last year and we actually took a pony along. We brought one of our ponies from my house, a mini called Ed,” explained tbird’s CEO, Chris Pack. “Even though we are in a rural area, it was unbelievable how many kids had never seen a horse. This was a great way to get out into the community like other sports teams do with their players, so we adapted it into a fun activity with elementary schools. We do giveaways and some philanthropic initiatives where we help them raise some money, and the kids can bring their parents to the horse show when we give it away.”
The idea is simple: remove the intimidation factor, open the gates, and let curiosity do the rest.
No Sudden Changes
For competitors and stakeholders, the most immediate question is always the same: what changes? For now, very little.
“All current operations will proceed uninterrupted,” Matheson confirmed, with the existing team remaining in place and the 2026 schedule moving forward as planned.
There are, of course, long-term ambitions such as the potential return of 5* competition, but only when the right conditions, including sponsorship, are in place. “We would love to get back to that level, but we are going to work towards that,” he said.
Transitions like this are rare in Canadian equestrian sport, and when they happen, they carry real weight. In this case, the continuity between outgoing and incoming ownership appears deliberate.
“The Mathesons share the same values and ethics as the Tidballs,” said Pack. “They are committed to honouring the legacy—including the ‘George & Dianne Tidball Legacy Scholarship Program’—while continuing to develop tbird’s reputation as a world-class venue.”
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